Rise and Shine

April 14, 2006 5:22 AM

Music filter: OK So besides Jethro Tull's 'A Passion Play' and the obvious Brown Album* what other songs or albums have that Easter theme? * Jesus Christ Super Star

Granted Tull's A Passion Play isn't directly related to the Christian Easter, but it has become a tradition not unlike playing Alice's Restaurant at Thanksgiving. So what else is out there? Searching by title could prove misleading. Please forgive me if I don't care for over the top Christian music. Rock, Alt Country, World are more to my liking. Yeah I know about the soundtracks from Last Temptation and Mel's movie...

posted by Gungho to Media & Arts (17 answers total)

Response by poster: Oh, I forgot, classical is OK too.
posted by Gungho at 5:31 AM on April 14, 2006

Its not traditional or even specifically about the holiday but Easter Theatre by XTC is a suggestion. Amazing track.
posted by gfrobe at 5:58 AM on April 14, 2006

Sufjan Stevens - Seven Swans
posted by ludwig_van at 6:10 AM on April 14, 2006

Godspell, of course
posted by Miko at 6:51 AM on April 14, 2006

Bach's St. John's Passion, as heard live RIGHT NOW on bbc radio 3. It's a Good Friday tradition.
posted by Lotto at 7:04 AM on April 14, 2006

What Lotto said.

You can listen to the last hour live on the BBC Radio 3 player, or listen to the whole thing later using the Listen Again feature.
posted by matthewr at 7:41 AM on April 14, 2006

Best answer: There's always Patti Smith's "Easter," both album and song.
posted by argybarg at 7:56 AM on April 14, 2006

JCSS in Japanese (thank you WFMU)
posted by omnidrew at 8:03 AM on April 14, 2006

Bach's St. John's Passion

Or even Bach's St. Matthew's Passion.
posted by LionIndex at 8:45 AM on April 14, 2006

The Ruling Class by Loose Furs
posted by Espy Gillespie at 9:47 AM on April 14, 2006

Bach's Passions, Gabriel Faure's Requiem and Gregorio Allegri's Miserere Mei are my playlist for today. Also, I like the arrangement for the Agnus Dei of Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings.

IMHO, Miserere Mei is an amazing piece of music. So amazing that I made a post about it last Good Friday.
posted by turbodog at 10:20 AM on April 14, 2006

Response by poster: CAN'T BEAT BACH. THANKS FOR THE SUGGESTIONS. O crap the caps lock was on. sorry.
posted by Gungho at 10:21 AM on April 14, 2006

WRTI is in the middle of their annual broadcast of Bach's St. Matthew Passion, and it looks like a full afternoon of Easter music. I particularly recommend Regina Coeli, from Cavallaria Rusticana by Mascagni. Singing it was my first introduction to trancendental experience.

A second for Allegri's Miserere Mei, especially if you can find the version by the Tallis Scholars.
posted by kalimac at 10:27 AM on April 14, 2006

Trachtenberg Family Slideshow Players - "Eggs"
posted by Frank Grimes at 12:17 PM on April 14, 2006

I hate to burst your opening clause, but I am not so sure that Jethro Tulll's "A Passion Play" is about Easter. Here's a quote from Guitar World which seems to indicate that the song is really about choices.
posted by crazyray at 2:29 PM on April 14, 2006

Handel's Messiah was originally written for performance on Easter.
posted by Lycaste at 6:48 PM on April 14, 2006

Response by poster: Never said A Passion Play was about Easter, although Ian has said that it deals with death and the hereafter. It has however become a staple 'round Easter time. (When else do I have 45 minutes to listen to one song?)
posted by Gungho at 7:38 PM on April 14, 2006